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LOOK STRAIGHT AHEAD

Jeremy Knowles is a 17-year-old outcast who dreams of being a great artist. But when he suffers a severe mental breakdown brought on by bullying and other pressures at school, his future is called into question — as is his very existence! Can he survive the experience through the healing power of art? And just what does it mean to be "crazy," anyway?

Originally self published in 2013, Renegade welcomes Elaine to our roster of award winning graphic novel creators, with her breakout book Look Straight Ahead.

“Will has a strong sense of character and an ear for authentic dialogue, making this an extremely readable and accessible work." – Paula Jane Remlinger, Saskatchewan Human Rights Commission

Joe Shuster Award nominee (2011)

Saskatchewan Book Award nominee (2014)

Recommended by Canadian Mental Health Association Saskatoon

Elaine M. Will (Writer, Artist) - Elaine Will is an illustrator and cartoonist from Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, most well-known for her acclaimed graphic novel Look Straight Ahead, a story about mental illness (and one of the last winners of the Xeric Award, from the final grant cycle). She also drew Dustship Glory, adapted from the novel of the same name by Andreas Schroeder.

Jeremy Knowles is a 17-year-old outcast who dreams of being a great artist. But when he suffers a severe mental breakdown brought on by bullying and other pressures at school, his future is called into question — as is his very existence! Can he survive the experience through the healing power of art? And just what does it mean to be "crazy," anyway?

Originally self published in 2013, Renegade welcomes Elaine to our roster of award winning graphic novel creators, with her breakout book Look Straight Ahead.

“Will’s novel is deep, thought-provoking, and a delight for readers who enjoy introspective, character-driven stories that examine the meaning of reality and sanity.”
— Library Journal

“An early sequence of his drawing, which descends into [the character's] own visions, is both startlingly accomplished cartooning and a disturbing foreshadowing of what’s to come. [The artwork] makes his illusions seductively attractive.” — Publishers Weekly